Depressed mom 'decides to murder autistic son' after challenges of caring for him
Claire Button, 35, is accused of killing her autistic 5-year-old son, Lincoln Button, at their family home last December by smothering him to death
A mom is accused of murdering her autistic son after the "challenges of caring" for him led to her depression, a court heard. Claire Button, 35, is charged with killing 5-year-old Lincoln Button at their family home in South Ockendon last December.
Emergency services rushed to Windstar Drive in the south Essex town on Dec. 15 after Button's husband, Nicky, returned from work and found his son and his wife, who had attempted suicide. Lincoln was declared dead at the scene.
Jurors were informed that the mother, who denies the murder, had previously pleaded guilty to manslaughter. Prosecutor Andrew Jackson alleged that "what happened that day was a deliberate and unlawful act plainly done with the intention of killing Lincoln."
Jackson accused Button of smothering her only child and placing a sign next to his body that read "DNR — do not resuscitate." Another note found in the house, allegedly written by Button, stated, "He [Lincoln] does not fit in the world and where he doesn't fit I don't either."
Basildon Crown Court learned that young Lincoln was attending a mainstream school while living with learning difficulties. He was an otherwise physically healthy boy who had been diagnosed with autism and was said to "love going to school."
"It appears that the challenges of caring for an autistic child had caused the defendant to become depressed, and she chose to murder her child," Jackson said.
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Jurors heard that Lincoln resided at home with his mom and Nicky, his father. The defendant's mother lived close by and formed "part of a large network of family support" and had even become qualified as a caregiver so that she could assist in caring for Lincoln.
During the 2024 school summer break, Claire was brought by her mother to a mental health facility at Basildon Hospital, where she received a depression diagnosis and was given medication. The medication "appeared to be having a positive effect" on Claire after a week, and by the time Lincoln went back to school, circumstances had improved.
However, the October half-term break "marked a return to the problems." Claire saw her doctor and was prescribed an increased dosage of the medication provided to her for her depression.
Her state again got better once Lincoln was back at school, Jackson stated.
The prosecutor continued, "[With] the school Christmas holidays on the near horizon, the defendant was again saying that her health had deteriorated."
Jurors viewed video footage of Lincoln and his mom walking into a LIDL grocery store on Dec. 14. The child seemed obsessed with the store's automatic entrance door, being recorded going back and forth through it repeatedly.
The next day, Claire visited her mom with Lincoln for a short time. During the visit, she informed her mother about what had happened at the grocery store.
On the same day, Dec. 15, at 11:25 a.m., the defendant dialed emergency services and requested an ambulance, stating "she was about to take an overdose." Claire, who was home with her son, informed the operator that she was alone.
The 999 (the British equivalent of 911) dispatcher advised the mother to stay with a friend as it "might not be able to get an ambulance to her for 10 hours."
Claire's husband made the heartbreaking discovery about his son when he got home from work just before 3 p.m. on Dec. 15. Emergency medical personnel were immediately dispatched to the location, but sadly, Lincoln was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m.